silas thatcher

i started with a 4 x 8 tilt trailer with a 1500 pound rating i bought cheap years ago... over time, i ended up with higher sides... about 42"... i put 2 2x4's across the top to help stabilize the sides, and to give me a spot to tie down any long poles... placing the canvas in big cargo boxes is a good idea, but is not working out for me... they tend to take up a bit of room...since i am NOT going to upgrade to a bigger trailer, i am thinking of storing the canvas in ho-made canvas bags and then i can squish them under a seat in the van or use them as cushions or pillows... it's the squishability factor i am after... we have also ended up with 4 chairs, two tables and a number of medium sized crates... when empty, the crates serve as additional seating and storage for non period type items... since i have not yet made the tent storage bags, i will have to see how the trailer will pack at the next outting and make amendments from there...

as well for me !! after not having worked much at all in the last two months, a job sprang up right before the event !! so much for setting up early... then to top it off, we are working 10 hour days, and then top all of that off, we are working weekends also... getting a paycheck for more than a day or two a week is great, but dangit !! how come it couldn't start until after the event ?? oh well, need a full paycheck more than a weekend off at this point.... hope everyone had fun this weekend !

ok..... in the dead of night as i took out the blankets to rinse and dry, they certainly looked as black as they could get.... in the morning, they turned out to be a beautiful shade of brown !! almost reddish brown... this was due to the mish mosh of whatever dye i had on hand... the bright green wool that went in afterwards just turned dark green... guess the dye ran out of ooomph ??!! here are some pics of the powdering process :) these are the chunks i started with in the can and the 2x2 i used to pound ( tap actually ) them into smaller pieces the results after pounding the results after the coffee grinder :)

moment of anticipated " duh !! " walnut hull dye is great for dying white material tan or brown... a small piece of white linen turned out great !! it however does nothing for old army blankets...they turned out olive drab with a bit of dirt on them... so out came a few packs of rit dye mixed them up and they turned a beautiful shade of black...good enough to hide the old color, and in went some "leprechaun green" wool we have a few yards of and here again, a useable color... good enough for a winter weight coat... dunno how much other stuff i want tan/brown soo i may just end up sending my remaining powder to a promised person to make ink...may just stick with rit dye from now on and still powder the hulls next year to give away or sell... i am powdering the hulls so that i don't have to deal with buckets of stainable stuff sitting around... a few cans of powder is more convenient for us...besides if i sell it off, it is easier than a bucket full of liquid !!

it would be interesting to see exactly what they meant with some of the terms...brawles, knickanees, etc... and i also know that some of it is open to interpretation since the meanings of some words have changed over the last few hundred years....

swab, the problem with the bigger chunks is that they get stuck between the blades and the housing, when i broke them down with tamping ( kinda like the dioramas at the museum showing indian women pounding corn into flour ) they worked out beautifully in the used coffee grinder and you don't want to use something that will be used for cooking later !! the used coffee grinder is now for only walnut hulls...

right now i am trying to stain some army blankets so they don't jump out at every one as being what they are... soaking in a tub as i type :) some of it i am sending to someone so she can make ink... the rest is for dying some off color stuff to help it blend in better.. i have ALOT of bright green coat weight wool that will do nothing but make someone look like a leprachaun !! (sp?) so a small piece is soaking also... may have to add more dye, dunno yet, will post the results

SUCCESS !! put eh chunks into a tall can, tapped up and down with a 2x2 until they were broken up into even smaller pieces resembling coffee bean size.... put that into the coffee grinder and voila !! got about a coffee can full of nice powder !! the whole process took about 1/2 hour...

okay, chopped and dried a bunch of black walnut hulls and now i want to turn the bits into a powder... the only problem i am having is finding a decent way to do this... the food grinders and choppers we have don't seem to do the trick at all... in fact it is starting to look as if i need to grind them down... mortar and pestle or grinding stone kinda thing... any idears for me ?? place in the appropriate forum if this is the wrong one :)

so far we have a small group attending... dead man jim , and his wench, rusty spike, the thatchers, and scott todd ( danceswithgerbils ) will be there.. any one else is free to join us

alot of rules in public events are governed by the insurance companies... pistols and long guns that can fire projectiles, swords and knives that can be sharp ?? all can be used for injury and/or death... a scene of inebriated morons running around with guns and swords with women and children milling about ( and lawyers lurking in the shadows ) makes for a bad scenario in the eyes of the underwriter.... no insurance, no event... plain and simple some events will not even allow ANY weapon at all !! here again, rules of the insurance underwriter... zip ties and sometimes a stout leather thong ...

who is going ?? the thatcher clan will be there with the massive expanse of canvas ( and will be bigger than last year ) ... there are a few locals not on the pub that will be camped out with the pirates as well...

yes !!! i know it is jack, but i did get him to pose with the mercury flag.... this is the same guy that was at fort de chartres

here are some pics that rusty spike wanted me to upload... they are showing the knot work done on his telescope by bos'n carl...

saw a program on burning man... definitely cool !! wanna go some year

still waffling between going or not, probably gonna sit this next week ( no work= no extra money ) and that will make up my mind for me

it may be bitterly cold, or it may be beautiful.... been there with both !! that time of year is a bit fickle... still had a good time at both !!

was gonna set up camp tonite, but the rain here made up my mind for me... it has been a crappy week, i feel sore and tired...cool and rainy is not what the body needs right now... did go up to see some people tonite... if it is somewhat sunny tomorrow, i will set up then... capt. trueblood, james and wes, make sure you stop by the encampments and say hello !

should be camped near carl and master alan swing by and introduce yourself

how much is this last one ??

yet another enjoyable read !!

many thanks have to go out for all that have helped make this past weekend a success.... bo -- for the lease of the tent and the fly, taters, and good company... william for his work in the organization of this event, the extra tent capt. j and janet ... for hosting our wayward travelers , the food tent, meal prep, and organizing mad pete, beowolf, michael, kate, mark g., and william for traveling from parts unknown carl and aj for the scotch eggs and me... for the canvas shower house !! sorry if i forgot someone or something !! everyone pitched in with food, cooking, tents and flies, chairs, tables, etc..... to make this a great weekend... thanks to all !!

Huzzah Mercury! capatain, mostly due to william...

bo.. good seeing ya again !! thanks for the tent rental... AGAIN... that pic turned out as well as i hoped.... my 1 1/2 hour drive home was, well....uneventful !!